February 2012

I promised you guys an album yesterday, so here you go! I put up a couple of pics from my “Lunch with a Legend” experience back in Chicago and a few from the Marlins golf outing down here in Miami. It has been a great couple of weeks, but now it’s time to get to work. I will leave you with a picture of me and my boys, Carlos Zambrano and Mark Buehrle, out golfing. Good times ahead!

Wow! Where do I even begin? When I left Chicago snow was falling and yes, I love that! Before I left, though, I sat down with the guys from ESPN 1000 at Morton’s Steakhouse for “Lunch with a Legend,” and what a turnout. It was a great feeling seeing so many people there and I want to thank everyone that came out! Waddle & Carmen could be the best in Chicago; it was a very classy event and they ask the tough questions. There is a right way to do things and then there is a way to do things while being a jerk and sarcastic. That’s why I want to thank everyone from ESPN 1000 for always being so classy and doing things the right way.

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Right now I am in Miami (just got to Jupiter) and I couldn’t be happier because all of the guys are fun and loose, they just want to go out and have some fun. Or maybe it’s just because I was around Jose Reyes. Being around that guy’s energy is just contagious. During the Marlins Caravan last week we went to hospitals, schools, senior citizen centers and then had a blast golfing with the Miccosukee Tribe. Those guys can play some golf!

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It’s always great seeing my guys Carlos (Zambrano) and Mark B. (Buerhle). Carlos got slimmer and Mark was being his usual self. Mike Stanton is a house and Logan Morrison is … LoMo. He’s just a fun guy to be around. Hanley (Ramirez) seems ready to go, and looks like he has been working very hard this offseason. Now it’s finally time to go out there, have some fun and play ball. To be completely honest I am really looking forward to this year. I hate saying this, but that stadium is just unbelievable, there are no words to describe it! I was there with Jose the other day for a photo shoot and the guys had me rollin’ the whole time. He is just funky and I love it.

Emilio Bonifacio and Omar Infante are great together. It’s always good to see everyone hang out and get along. Looks like big boy Josh (Johnson) is ready to go as well. I just can’t wait to get out there and smell the pine tar and hear the bat hitting the ball. It sounds stupid, but that’s why we all love this game.

I want to say good luck to everyone in baseball before we get started. I hope this is a great year and everyone stays healthy.

Also, keep an eye out for an album that I will post tomorrow of the “Lunch with a Legend” event and the Marlins golf outing!

I had a great time on Monday night attending my first college basketball game and seeing DePaul play for the first time. I have to say, it was probably the most non-work related fun I have had this offseason. Wow. The people at DePaul and the fans at the game were awesome; it was such a good time. Even though Marquette had a lot of fans there, it was a close game to the end. I’m glad I had the chance to go and I will definitely be back. Who knows? I might even try to get some season tickets for next year, it was that much fun.

How many of you caught me on “Baseball Tonight” on Tuesday? It’s always a good time to catch up with Karl Ravech and the boys. Believe me; what those guys do is not easy. I have been there before and props to everyone that works in TV … that is hard work!

Right now, I’m just getting ready to head down to Miami on Feb. 12 for the Marlins Golf Tournament, which should be a very good time. I saw the new stadium digitally on the new “MLB The Show” game for PlayStation 3 (my kids love that game) and wow, does the stadium look amazing on there. The stadium was sold out in the game, so let’s hope that happens a lot this year and the next couple of years. I will also be shooting a Pepsi commercial for Venezuela with Carlos Zambrano and Bobby Abreu. I will be seeing Carlos a lot this season, and I’m looking forward to it.

To be completely honest with you, I just want all this stuff to be over and to get this thing going. There’s nothing better than spring baseball. Oh yeah, and I hope to see a lot of you out tomorrow at Morton’s Steakhouse in Chicago to see me with ESPN 1000 at noon. Can’t wait!

How did January go by so fast? Well, February is here and I can’t believe it. And no, I don’t believe in Valentine’s Day, just in case you were wondering. February is always an exciting month because baseball is finally getting started. I can’t really remember an offseason that has been as much fun as this one, not only with the moves the Marlins have made but with the moves everyone has made. There are a lot of good teams out there and teams looking to bounce back from last year. April 4 can’t come soon enough.

I will be heading down to Miami on Feb. 13 for the Marlins charity golf tournament. I know Joey Cora has been practicing a lot so I need to get out there a few days early so I don’t embarrass myself. A couple days before that, on Friday, Feb. 10, I will be doing “Lunch With a Legend” here in Chicago on ESPN 1000 with Waddle & Silvy. I love working with those guys because they know a lot about baseball and sports in general. They treat everyone with respect and I like that. I hope to see everyone out for the event.

I finally made it to my first Bulls game of the year last week. It’s always great to see my old buddy, the guy who got me my first car in Chicago back in 1985, Steve Shanwald. I think it was a Toyota Supra (haha). The Bulls played a great game and Derrick Rose was awesome! I did see that they lost to the Heat, even though it was a great game. It would be very nice if the Bulls and the Heat face off in the Eastern Conference Finals so I can catch some games in Miami.

Back to baseball. Like I always say, every team looks good in January and everyone is optimistic and excited about their team’s chances. Usually this time of year everyone is saying the right things, but you have to go out and play the games. Everyone loves each other in February, but the key is to love each other in September. If you can do that then you are in business. Trust me, I know first hand.

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